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Sleeping Giants (Themis Files #1) by Sylvain Neuvel

April 26, 2016

Published By: Del Ray on April 26, 2016Format Read: Advanced Readers Copy Paperback (302 pages)Genre: Sci-fi/ Thriller/ Adult Series: Book one of the Themis FilesSource: Goodreads GiveawayRating: THREE POINT FIVE STARS

A girl named Rose is riding her new bike near her home in Deadwood, South Dakota, when she falls through the earth. She wakes up at the bottom of a square hole, its walls glowing with intricate carvings. But the firemen who come to save her peer down upon something even stranger: a little girl in the palm of a giant metal hand.

Seventeen years later, the mystery of the bizarre artifact remains unsolved—its origins, architects, and purpose unknown. Its carbon dating defies belief; military reports are redacted; theories are floated, then rejected.

But some can never stop searching for answers.

Rose Franklin is now a highly trained physicist leading a top secret team to crack the hand’s code. And along with her colleagues, she is being interviewed by a nameless interrogator whose power and purview are as enigmatic as the provenance of the relic. What’s clear is that Rose and her compatriots are on the edge of unraveling history’s most perplexing discovery—and figuring out what it portends for humanity. But once the pieces of the puzzle are in place, will the result prove to be an instrument of lasting peace or a weapon of mass destruction?

REVIEW:

What you should know?
Most of the book is told through interviews with a very powerful man whose interest and purpose in the story is not immediately clear.The characters tell their stories through his questions, and there are sometimes journal entries and articles included between the interviews. This book was one of my Top Ten 2016 Most Anticipated Debuts, and I was not disappointed. The story spans continents, involves multiple branches of the U.S. military, managed to make me laugh and want to hug someone I love. The characters include head strong personalities, geniuses and very flawed people. While the characters work together to unfold what may be the greatest Global advancement in our world, they suffer from their own humanity.

"There are many reasons why, some more relevant than others. From your perspective, it should suffice to know that you would never be allowed to leave this room alive if I did."

What did I like?
The format made this easy to read, and continued to keep me engaged. The interviews provided a way for characters to discuss a range of topics, and developments with little transitions. All of these characters in the book can think for themselves, and were relateable. Some were misguided, some were memorable, but all were well developed. The future technology allowed me to stretch my horizons on what is possible, by humans and beyond. There's still a lot left to uncover in the series, but there was enough here to pique my interest.

What didn't I like?
Some of the dialogue pontificated on irrelevant things. The interview format did have it's limitations, and became awkward at times. There were predictable science fiction tropes, that led me to guess some of the plot points. I wanted more personal journal entries, which would have worked better for some of the major events that happened throughout the story.

Should you read it?
If you enjoy science fiction thrillers you definitely should. I sped through this book, because of how much I enjoyed it, it was just fun. I'm excitedly waiting for the sequel, and to find out who and what it will involve.

I received this book from a Goodreads Giveaway.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Sylvain Neuvel dropped out of
high school at age 15. Along the way, he has been a journalist, worked
in soil decontamination, sold ice cream in California, and peddled
furniture across Canada. He received a Ph.D. in linguistics from the
University of Chicago. He taught linguistics in India, and worked as a
software engineer in Montreal. He is also a certified translator, though
he wishes he were an astronaut. He likes to tinker, dabbles in robotics
and is somewhat obsessed with Halloween. He absolutely loves toys; his
girlfriend would have him believe that he has too many, so he writes
about aliens and giant robots as a blatant excuse to build action
figures (for his son, of course).

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Welcome!

I'm Tori, a Book Addict, Writer and Lawyer. I post Book Reviews, Bookish Discussions, Book Recommendations and Book News. I read and review a lot of Young Adult, but focus on Sci-Fi, Dystopian and Thriller within the genre. I also read Comics, Non-Fiction, Poetry and whatever else catches my interest. If you like what you read Please Follow Me. Authors seeking review, see my Review Policy

Ratings Explained

3 stars- I liked this book, there was enough interesting aspects and emotional impact to keep my engaged

2 stars- needs serious work, but has some good plot points or substance, had potential

1 stars- lacking in substance and bad writing

0 stars- didn't finish, couldn't force myself too

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